Feminish

In this episode, we dig into the concept of “good taste” and why it was so white and so cishet male for centuries. We talk about the refreshing pink world of Barbie that we all need in 2023. What was Cyndi Lauper really getting at when she reminded her father that he’s taking things a little too seriously? This episode is an homage to embracing the things you like, regardless of social concepts of “taste.” Be tacky, be joyful, be you.

Tacky: Love Notes to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer, by Rax King: https://bookshop.org/a/81323/9780593312728

Barbie trailer: https://youtu.be/GRyt3Ov4zz0

Olivia and Catherine the Great have a lot in common. They are both trying to do a LOT in the 24 hours we have in a day. Running a country, running a business, dealing with family, love, body issues, and trying to choose what dress to wear to the government ball on top of that? Feels impossible. If the Empress of Russia also struggled with these things, and managed to be a complete legend, maybe we’re doing OK too.

Today we talk about the impossibility of doing it all, all the time. We discuss viral songs and the rhetorical prowess of TikTok creators. We talk about the complicated and human Catherine, Empress of Russia from 1762-1796, including her twelve lovers and a document she wrote that is still considered one of the most remarkable feats of political writing in history. Turns out she fits right into the Feminish world.

Labour by Paris Paloma (TikTok song): https://open.spotify.com/track/2Ggr9IfS70wYQacW8nZKPG?si=46dbd77402d2467a

Jessie’s read: Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman: https://bookshop.org/a/81323/9780345408778

In our third episode, we’re talking about sex. We’re looking at the first era in American history when women went out and dated for the joy of it, without the expectation of looking for a husband (even though marriage + a household was very much still what the larger culture expected of her…).

Think it was the 1960s? Think much earlier! We talk about how our current TV and film culture has left us hanging for realistic takes on sex and read bodies.

Jessie’s read: Woman: The American History of an Idea by Lillian Faderman

Articles: by Sophie Gilbert

“Don’t call them trash” (Print version published under title “The Case for Bodice Ripping”)

“The Death of the Sex Scene”

Olivia’s read: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

TikTok referenced: Chelsea Handler’s “Just another child-free day”

Today on the podcast we’re talking about the history of feminist movements in the United States - they are probably a lot more complex and nonlinear than you think. We discuss whether it’s fair for Olivia to ask men outright if they are feminists. We talk about what “feminism” encompasses today (spoiler: it’s a lot more than just “women’s equality”).

Jessie’s read today is Feminism Unfinished: A Short, Surprising History of American Women’s Movements by Astrid Henry, Dorothy Sue Cobble, and Linda Gordon. She also references Hood Feminism by Micki Kendall.

It’s the launch of our new podcast! Join Jessie and Olivia as we talk at the intersection of pop culture, feminism, and rhetoric. We hope, if you come for one, you’ll be hooked on the other. We love to read but we read very different stuff, Feminish embraces that difference; we’re looking for the overlaps in our culture and history - and there are many! We’ll talk TikTok trends and the troubled nature of the term “feminism” and lots more this season. We hope you’ll laugh, learn, and be entertained.

On our first episode, we discuss a bit about what the heck rhetoric even is, and Jessie brings her recent read Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell. Olivia brings A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Join Jessie and Olivia as we meet at the intersection of pop culture, feminism, and rhetoric. Each episode, we get together to talk about books we've read, things going on in the world and in pop culture, and what it means to be and feel feminist today. Our reading habits differ greatly, but help us understand the world. Join us for a laugh and a think.